Now, iPad is helping the company further differentiate itself — and increase sales. “My vision,” says Ryan Camping, Vice President of RC Auto, “has been to dramatically shorten the time it takes, never leave the customer’s side, and create a more intimate atmosphere. My dream has become a reality now that we have iPad.”

“When meeting a customer for the first time, it’s important that they know who we are, what we do, and how we do business,” says Ryan Camping. “iPad allows us to convey this message and create a level of comfort before we start talking about cars or entering into a dealer transaction.”

The RC Auto sales staff uses iPad to educate customers, sharing pictures of cars and available options. They can also calculate payments and total cost, perform appraisals, draw a diagram to explain depreciation, and even complete an entire sales transaction — all while standing in the showroom or on the lot. “We like to provide our customers with the education they need to make an informed decision,” explains President and Founder Roger Camping. “That’s the RC Auto difference.”

On the Road with iPad

Another difference is that RC Auto sales representatives make appointments with potential customers to discuss their needs, and will gladly meet at the sales showroom, a restaurant, or even the customer’s home or office. “A lot of people don’t want to spend their weekends going to dealerships,” says Ryan Camping. “Appointments help us shorten the amount of time it takes to purchase an automobile and provide a personable, very comfortable atmosphere.”

Before iPad, that approach often challenged the sales staff, because the information they wanted to show customers wasn’t always available from the road. Sales reps would flip through a stack of paper slides and brochures, which were inefficient and difficult to customize. Later they used laptops, but presenting and sharing information between more than two people wasn’t always easy.

iPad, and its large, easy-to-share screen changed all that. “Now we’re able to show the customer each individual vehicle on iPad, walking them through colors and selections and options and everything all on one tool,” says Roger Camping. If a customer has a question about leasing or the steps involved in a purchase, the rep can switch over to a Keynote presentation that explains it.

“iPad also gives us the ability to sync with both PCs and Macs in the office no matter where we are,” adds Ryan Camping. “It’s like having our desktop computers with us on iPad at all times: contacts, calendars, email. We’re never away from the office.”

Simpler and More Efficient

“The introduction of iPad is changing the way we operate dramatically,” says Roger Camping. “We use iPad in every aspect of our business, every moment of the day.”

Take vehicle appraisals, for example. RC Auto staff used to do them by taking a clipboard and the appropriate forms out to the lot, filling them in with a pen, and then transcribing the information into a computer back inside the office. Now, iPad has replaced the clipboard and paper forms, allowing staff to appraise a vehicle on-site and immediately add the information to the company inventory in Numbers.

RC Auto uses CarDealCalcPro on iPad to calculate payments, terms, sales tax and license plate fees to give the customer a snapshot of the total cost. Ryan Camping demonstrated the power and simplicity of iPad during a recent transaction with a customer. He recalls, “With iPad in my hands, I was able to access all the information I needed right by the customers’ side, and answer their questions quickly. I also structured the entire transaction on the trunk of their new car while they were walking around the vehicle. I wirelessly printed the documents to our office printer using the PrintNShare app, had the customers sign the documents, and delivered the car right on the spot.”

CHALK_BOARD, another application, is helping RC Auto do what it does best: educate customers. Roger Camping explains, “As long as I’ve been in business, I’ve used a whiteboard in my office to graphically show people what happens in a vehicle’s life regarding depreciation. With CHALK_BOARD on iPad, I’m able to do that in a customer’s home or office, or in a restaurant, and I can even capture the image and email it to them on the spot. It’s like always having my whiteboard with me.”

The Bottom Line

iPad has helped RC Auto streamline basic business processes so much that the company is expanding its business. “As a result of having iPad,” says Roger Camping, “we’re going to be able to triple the size of our used car inventory, and the sales of that inventory, from 25-30 cars per month to 75-100 per month, without any additional staff.”

RC Auto has built a thriving business by doing things a little differently, educating customers, and meeting them where they are. iPad is helping the company do what it does best — even better.

“iPad is such a phenomenal device,” says Ryan Camping. “Almost every day I get on my iPad and find a new application that can improve the way I’m doing things. It’s constantly making me more efficient, and it’s just an absolute blast to use.”